A Simpler Adventure
by Lady GreyWolf
Summary: The Pevensies have gone back to their regular lives after helping Caspian, but Edmund is not that happy about the normality of it all. He yearns for the excitement each day in Narnia gave him, not knowing that such excitement might not be caused by battles and adventures only.


**One of the stories I managed to dig up today - I think it was a Christmas gift for someone over at LiveJournal but I haven't written down who it was and my old LJ account was closed due to inactivity so there's no way of going back and check. Anyway, hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

"Pevensie!"

Edmund groaned and backed away from the sack he had been using for boxing. He really didn't know why he had signed up for boxing this term; he wasn't a fan of the sport, he really hadn't bothered that there was a boxing-team at school before this term.

Now his trainer, Mr Scott, was heading his way. It was the fifth time during this practice-session only!

"Pevensie, are you an elf?" Scott roared. Edmund blinked, trying to understand what this sarcastic comment meant.

"No, sir", he answered after a while.

"It looks like you are", Scott continued, his voice roaring across the room despite the fact that he was standing only five meters away from Edmund. "Are you trying to wrap that sack in paper and bring it to Santa so that he can go away in his magical sleigh and give it to some poor, poor child?"

Edmund almost bit back that Mr Scott should not make fun of Santa; he had after all met the old man when back in Narnia. Just in time he realized what a jerk he would look like if he said those words. So instead he remained silent, his ears flashing red.

"Now go and handle the weights, let someone who knows how to kill handle the sack", Scott continued, pointing towards the corner where the team kept their weights. Yet again Edmund almost said that he had killed people and he was proud of it, but then who would believe him? And even more, who would believe him if he said that only some of those people had been human…

Muttering some foul words he headed over to the weights, lifted them one by one, not sure which one to use.

"Here, why don't you use this?"

"Thanks", he snapped and grabbed the handles someone handed him. Moments later he realized that the one who had given them to him was a girl. Oh, bloody hell.

"Sorry", he muttered and looked away.

"No worries", the girl said and shrugged, before she walked away. She walked straight up to Mr Scott and Edmund winced when he noticed the similarity between their faces. Scott's daughter, no doubt about it.

He put the weights down again and stomped out. Scott could yell all he wanted for him, but Edmund really didn't want to keep going with this training. The only reason he had signed up for boxing was, really, that it meant fighting. That it might be more like how it had been in Narnia.

He threw of his shirt and stepped out of his trousers before stepping into the shower, splashing cold water over his sweaty body.

"What is your name?"

He shouted a loud curse and quickly grabbed a towel, shielding himself from the girl who was now sitting on the bench right in front of him. A cocky smile was playing on her lips.

"What the hell are you doing?" he shouted. "This is the boys' room, for…"

"I'm allowed to be in here while there is practice", the girl answered and leaned back slightly. "Which is now, so me being here is perfectly fine. Now answer my question."

Edmund glared at her, feeling his face turn red, either from exposing himself to her or from her annoying way of speaking to him.

"Edmund", he muttered after a while and grabbed his clothes, taking them with him to the bathroom.

"Edmund", he heard her say through the door. "Then you must be the one that my father refers to as 'completely incompetent, soft and girly'."

"Thanks, I see that as a compliment", Edmund yelled ironically. He heard her laugh.

"Honestly, you're not someone I'd see as a boxing-fan", she then continued. "You're muscular, yes, but not enough and you do not seem to enjoy hitting things at all."

In the mirror he saw his face flush red yet again.

"I do not see the point with hitting a sack, it's not like it reacts like an opponent", he muttered.

"True", she said. "So, what do you do instead?"

He stopped. What was this girl up to?

"I mean, you've got to do something to keep that body", she continued. His face turned redder; this girl was teasing him!

"Nothing important", he said after a while, splashing his face with cold water. His brain was running through all kinds of plans that made it possible for him to get away from this girl, or make her go away from him.

"Why did you sign up for boxing, then?" she asked. He yanked the door open again, walking past her to the pile of sweaty clothes that he needed to stuff into his bag.

"Why do you care?" he asked as he reached for his towel.

"Curiosity", she answered and shrugged.

"Well, you do not know me, so you shouldn't bother", Edmund continued.

"In my opinion, you get to know people by asking them things", the girl said and smiled.

"Not personal questions", Edmund said.

"I do not see these questions as personal. After all, I've only asked for your name, what you do to keep your body in shape and why you even signed up for boxing if you did not like it."

Edmund had to admit that that was actually true, and none of them was that personal. It was just that for him it was hard to give responses that didn't give him away.

"Well, perhaps I have a different opinion", he said silently.

"You're keeping secrets", the girl said and smiled. "And that is not something that I wish to pry into."

"Thank you", he said and tried to sound sarcastic, but somehow he didn't manage to.

She accompanied him out of the hall. Outside it was cold and dark, and Edmund was surprised to see that a few snowflakes were falling down from the sky.

"You think we'll have a white Christmas this year?" the girl next to him asked.

"Maybe", he shrugged. "But it's a week left still, a lot can happen."

"Yeah", she said and smiled again. "I'm sorry, by the way, that I didn't introduce myself before. I'm Hannah."

"Nice to meet you, then."

"Nice to meet you too", Hannah said. "And I wasn't lying when I said that your body looked great and, honestly, you should continue with whatever you do to keep it in that shape."

Edmund blushed furiously at the comment.

"Thanks", he mumbled. This girl was definitely not like any other girl he had ever met; she just didn't hold back! Somehow, that reminded him of how he felt when he was in Narnia. There he did not hold back; he lived the life every little boy would have dreamt of with wars and kings and castles. And he was able to speak his mind. Here, back at his old school, he was tongue-tied.

"You know what I think?" Hannah suddenly said. "I think that you choose boxing because you wanted to fight something inside you, but you really couldn't since whatever that is still is a part of you."

"Well, not exactly", Edmund slowly answered. "It's… kind of hard to explain."

"Alright", Hannah said and shrugged. "Anyway, I think you should quit since you obviously do not like it. It will make you happier."

"You think?"

"I know it."

Edmund find himself smiling towards her. Then they continued to walk side by side in silence, until they reached the crossroads that would take them to the different parts of the school; the girls' side on the right and the boys' on the left.

They stopped and turned towards one another.

"Well, I hope you have a great Christmas", Hannah said and smiled.

"You too, Hannah."

He was caught off guard when she reached up and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. As she pulled back he blinked a couple of times, before he grabbed her and pulled her close to kiss her on the mouth instead.

They didn't say anything else when they pulled apart and headed in different directions, back to their own dormitories. Edmund really did not think about it all until he lay in bed that evening. He knew why he had kissed her; he had realized that they would probably never see one another again and she had helped him get over his wish to have everything like it had been in Narnia. He wasn't really sure if he had been attracted to her. If he was, then it was not her appearance that attracted him, but her personality.

He smiled as he remembered all of her questions. Yeah, he was definitely attracted to her.

With that thought in mind, he turned around and closed his eyes to get some sleep.


End file.
